Morocco Dismantles ISIS-Linked Terror Cell in Multi-City Raid

Several cities were raided by elements of the Central Bureau of Judicial Investigation (BCIJ), under the General Directorate of Territorial Surveillance (DGST), as part of these security operations. These are Tangier, Tiflet, Temara and Skhirat, where the police raids led to the arrest of five extremists aged between 29 and 43, according to a BCIJ statement.

The searches and sweeping operations carried out in premises and apartments used by the accused as secure locations and logistical support bases made it possible to seize 3 explosive belts containing tubes for loading explosive objects, 15 bottles containing suspicious chemical substances, 2 electric detonators, electronic equipment, chemical powders and electrical cables, the BCIJ said.

There were also 3 balaclavas, 2 pairs of binoculars, electronic and electrical welding equipment, a sophisticated digital camera, 2 tear gas grenades, a large quantity of knives of various sizes, small gas cylinders, 2 pressure cookers loaded with nails and cables and another containing a suspicious chemical liquid, as well as plastic bags containing iron nuts and suspicious substances, 5 batteries and 25 flashlights, according to the same source.

The searches also made it possible to seize a cardboard model bearing the Daesh sign, 3 explosive vests in the process of preparation, several plastic pipes used in the manufacture and preparation of explosive belts, as well as about 3 kg of ammonium nitrate which were made available, with the other seized chemical substances, to the technical expertise that will be carried out by the scientific and technical police laboratory, the statement added.